The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-08-25
TWiiSon Mirror.i

" liS0H MirfOf-I
| wish every wife and mother in the
world to read this picture of a ruined
life and a shattered dream, and then.
guard themselves against wreck that
is mine. | am now a married woman.
| was once a loved and worshiEed
wife, but alas, how sad. how wretched
is now the change. Then, had a
happy, joyous, loving husband, and
life rolled along most beautifully, for
in the radiant sunlight of luminous
love beams, everything was bright and
radiant, and wore a Countenance as
lustrous as g!eamings from the celestial
scenes above. Children came like
blessings from Heaven, and drew our
heart-strings closer and nearer and
tighter and more sweetly together, and
in the dulcet melody'ot their raptur-
Gus beatings we heard a blissful and
ecstatic enchantment, a music as per
feet in its rythm and as mell;fluent in
its ,howings as the strains that come
rippling forth from an angels lutte in
Heaven. And thus life passed with
out a single note of discord to mar its
: blessed harmony, and without one
snag of evil to ripple its placid flow.
No dregs of impurity mudd1ed its
stainless current, which mirrored forth
and reflected back in all its soilless
beauty and spotless radiance the brill
liantly beaming and lovingly bending
heaven above it. Yes, our earth life
was photograph of that sweet and
perfect estate known only to beings in
sinless Paradise. But alas, how
changed is that once beautiful picture.
Over this Heaven loved scene of sweet
est bliss the serpent dragged Its poison
Gus trail, and the fairest flowers o1
peace and happiness that ever bloomed
in an earthly Eden faded and perished
and died under the Shiny touch of his
deadly fangs. Yes, the devil sent an
emissary of evil that entered our happy
home, and before | was aware of it the
hallowed altar Of affection and the
blessed shrine of devotion, around
which we had been SO fondly worship
ing, Crumbled into ruins, and crushed
as it fell all the hopes and all the
dreams that once made life SO brigh
and beautiful. Yes, with my own con
oclastic hand l pulled down the glo
rious temple of. happiness which love
had SO grandly and SO beautiful,
erected upon the solid foundation O
perfect faith and confidence. Yes
Sampson like, | pulled down the tenn
pie, and perlshed in its ruins, for
stand now before the world poor ant
miserable wreck of what was once
bright and beautiful existence. Blu
let me tell the sorrow draped story O
a blasted life, and point out the ste
which led me to my ruin. 1t is writ
ten in the heart drops of blacklist an
:. guish, and punctuated with the sou
: ushered sighs of bitterest remorse.
, Sometime ago young man becam
a frequent visitor'at our home. | 500
=, became free and intimate with bin
He told me he thought more Of M
than any one else, and showered upo
ME the tenderest attentions. W
would take strolls together, and hunte
e for wild flowers, not once dreamln
: that l was opening wider and wide
n the doors Of suspicion, and throug
: which was destined to enter the fo'
4 mouthed demon of vilest accusation
# demon that was to dethrone ME in tt
n realm of husbands worship, ar
e drive me, an uncrowned queen, forcv
,e from his presence, and loaded with h
$. scorn and bitter contempt. Yes, lit
$ did | dream that 1 was innocent
\. digging a gulf of separation betwe'
=r my husband and myself, and throue
70 which would flow in turgid billows t
"a turbid waters of bitterest enStrang
s ment. Evil and wicked gossipe
re ever on the alert for something WI
e. which to blacken human charac'
al found in my imprudent but lnnoce
ut department sufficient material WI
e. which to blast and ruin my name, a
if bring me under the laundering clio
ut of blackest reproach. While | v
k strolling with my young friend, e
e gossipers were busily talking, and
oh dustriously sowing those seeds fr'
he which would grow for me a fear
he harvest of misery and woe.
th Nv hasband heard these mallcl
reports. He could not understa
my unfortunate and imprudent c.
:. duct. The love which he had SO fon
10 and SO lavishly showered upon me, Z
which flooded my senses with ripI
of endearment as sweet as the Wa
> from the illimitable ocean of Heave
love, soon turned into bltterest h
nay The fragrant garden of ahection's II
istry became a neglected field OF "a
life est weeds. Briars grew where fios
not bloomed, and in a twinkling